Screw-driver



S. I. SNYDER. soRRW DRIVER.

(No Model.)

' Nita STATES 'ATENT Ormes.v

SAMUEL IDELL SNYDER, OF CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

SCREW-DRIVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,830, dated January22, 1895. i

Application led October 22, 1894.

To all whom, it may concern: y

Be it known that I, SAMUEL IDELL SNYDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clearfield, in the county of Clearfield and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Screw-Driver, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement on the device of my priorpatent, No. 518,472, dated April 17, 1894, wherein a spring arm isformed integral with the point of a screwdriver and given a normaltendency away from the same, but made capable of lying snugly againstit. By this construction I am enabled to insert the point of the driverand the end of the arm into the slot of a screw and thereby removablyhold the screw on the tool, to the end that it may be inserted intoinconveniently-situated places.

Now the present invention differs from the said patented device in thatthe arm instead of being formed integral with the tool, and incapable ofoccupying an y/position other than one directly alongside of the pointthereof,

is fulcrumed to the screw-driver at a point off the center of the arm sothat the arm maybe swung on its fulcrum to place it in operativeposition, or to place it out of operative position, and so that it willnot encumber the point of the screw-driver when it is desired to use thesame as ordinarily.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure l represents a perspective view ofa screwdriver constructed after the manner of my invention; Fig. 2, avertical longitudinal section thereof, it being shown in the act ofholding a screw through the medium of the spring arm; Fig. 3, anenlarged perspective of the point of the screw-driver, and showing thearm operatively disposed; Fig. 4, a similar view showing it in thereverse position;

Serial No. 526,632. (No model.)

aforesaid, so that the said arm will lie flush with the side of theshank 2, as may be seen by reference to the drawings.

l4 indicates the spring arm, ofk prior mention, and this is constructedof a section of steel plate, fulcrumed to the point of the screw-driverby means of the screw or pin 5,

which passes through it and into the point. This pin is passedthroughthe arm 4 at a point off the center thereof, so that the arm willhave one portion longer than the other. The difference in length isequal to a little less than two-thirds, though such a ratio is, ofcourse, not essential. The short portion of the arm 4 is left trulystraight so that it will lie snugly against the depressed portion 3 ofthe point l, whatever be the position of the point, while the remainingportion of the arm is turned up or away from the point l to form a freeend a, which has a normal tendency away from the point, as will beunderstood.

. The arm is so situated, and the longer por-` tion thereof made to havesuch a length, as

will place it precisely commensurate with the p point l; and the widthof the arm is also equal to the width of the point. Thus, when the armis in operative position, the free end a lies directly adjacent to thepoint, but whenv its tendency is unsuppressed, out of contact therewith.On the other hand, as the arm is moved to an inoperative position, thefree end a will lie directly adjacent to the shoulder formed by thereduced portion 4, thus making the device neat and Without projectingpoints or portions to detract from the convenience necessary to thecommercial utility thereof.

The shorter portion of the arm 4, when it is in the position justreferred to, will extend to a point perceptibly inward from the pointproper of the screw-driver, thus leaving sai'd point unobstructed and asfree as in the ordinary screw-driver. Into this position the parts maybe vmoved when it is desired to use the screw-driver without the arm,all of which is well illustrated in the drawings.

The larger portion of the arm 4 is formed with an indentation 6, whichis about midway the length of said enlarged portion, and which isproductive of a stud or projection on the inner side of the arm, as maybe seen by reference to the sectional view of the drawings.

IOO

This stud or projection is adapted to co-operate with thecounter-depressions '7 formed in the main depression 3. Thesecounter-depressions 7 are two in number, one on each side of the pin orscrew 5; and the one adjacent to the point proper is provided to holdthe arm in operative position, while the remaining countendepression hasfor its purpose to hold the arm in the position which it assumes wheninoperatively arranged. By these means the arm may be held from uselessplay when arranged to be inoperative, and when arranged to be operativethese devices furnish thoroughly efficient means for` preventing theaccidental displacement ot' the arms.

The use of my invention will be understood without any furtherdescription, and it will suiilce for me to say that to grasp a screwwith the device all that is necessary is to move the arm into operativeadjustment and first press the free end ct of the arm against one sideof the slot in the screw, causing said arm to be pushed into closeengagement with the point of the screw-driver, and thereby permittingboth the point and arm to enter the slot aforesaid, whereupon the armwill move outwardly and bind against the slot so as to hold the screw inconnection with the tool. It will now be possible to insert and drivethe screw, all of which will be understood.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of constructionmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificingany of the advantages of this invention.

Having described the invention, I cla-im* y 1. A screw-driver havingconnected thereto and adjacent to its point a spring arm having a normaltendency at one end to project away from said point, the arm beingcapable of swinging on the screw-driver so as to move said end alongsideof the point, or out of association therewith, substantially asdescribed.

2. Ascrew-driver having fulcrumed thereto a spring arm, the said armbeing fulcrumed oiits center and having its longer end capable ofprojecting to a point commensurate with the point of the screw-driverand with a normal tendency away from the same, the arm being capable ofswinging on its fulcrum so as to place said long end directly adjacentto the point of the screw-driver, or away from the same, substantiallyas described.

3. A screw-driver having connected thereto and adjacent to its point aspring arm having a normal tendency at one end to project away from saidpoint, the arm being capable oi swinging on the screw-driver so as tomove said end alongside of `the point, or out of association therewith,the screw-driver having formed therein adjacent to the arma depression,andthe arm having formed thereon a stud or projection, said stud orprojection being capable of fitting in the depression, whereby the armis held in position, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAML. IDELL SNYDER.

Witnesses:

W. F. BRADLEY, L. C. LANID.

